Light pollution affects nesting birds by disrupting circadian rhythms, altering nest timing, and attracting insects away from natural locations. Advanced understanding informs urban planning and lighting design recommendations.
Individual birds nesting near artificial light sources experience disrupted hormonal cycles that alter breeding timing in ways that may reduce chick survival through phenological mismatches. Migrating birds attracted to lit structures face collision risk and disorientation. Transitioning urban lighting to amber LEDs, implementing lighting curfews, and shielding lights to reduce sky glow provides direct welfare benefits to nesting and migrating birds.